Sunday, July 22, 2007

Periodically, I'll take a look at a player that might be available in your league & how adding him to your roster might impact your fantasy performance. Today's player profile is Pat Neshek, relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins.

Depending upon your league size, type (roto vs. H2H), & the value placed on middle relievers, he has probably either been on a roster since day one of the season, or he's been sitting out there on the waiver wire the entire time (like he was until I recently picked him up in an ESPN league that doesn't have a many bench spots). His stats are just sick - he also has that really cool sidearm delivery (that's a very cool site, by the way) that reminds me of guys like Dan Quisenberry. This specific attribute won't help you in fantasy baseball, but it sure is cool.

He succeeds using effectively two pitches - a fastball (that he's thrown approximately 49% of the time this season), & a slider (that he's thrown approximately 50% of the time); that remaining 1% or so is his change up. His slider is his "out" pitch, as batters hit around .250 against his fastball, vs. less than .130 against his slider.

I currently have Neshek on each of my rosters this season (2 Roto & 1 H2H), and he has been a valuable asset for my teams. He has pitched nearly 50 innings already this season, so he will be helpful in ERA, WHIP, K's, and he'll also get a win every now and again for good measure; and if your league uses 'holds' as a category, he's extremely helpful (and very likely, already on a roster). If you're lagging in some of the pitching categories, a top middle reliever like Neshek will certainly help you out. He may even be more useful than a 'middle of the road' starter, the type you have on your roster just because you needed to fill out your pitching staff...a guy that doesn't hurt you but doesn't help you either; you know the type.

Neshek is an excellent pitcher (and a future closer, although not this season), so if he's out there on your waiver wire, I would consider picking him up & dropping either a mediocre starter or a offensive bench player that you haven't had in your lineup for some time (since you're probably holding on to a guy like that "just in case", but Neshek can certainly help you immediately). He'll likely continue to produce at a high level, so if he's out there, add him now.

Did you know - Pat attended Butler University, where he holds the single-game (18 vs. Detroit, April 15, 2001), single-season (118, 2001) and career (280) strikeout records (thanks to MLB.com for the info).